PSY 480 Exam 1 Study Guide UPDATED ACTUAL Questions
and CORRECT Answers
The primary goal of developmental psychology integrating developmental science and psychopathology into explanatory
models for understanding, preventing, and treating psychopathological
development
how many guiding principles are there to 6
developmental psychology
1st Principle of DP multiple pathways to psychopathology exist
2nd Principle of DP to understand psychopathology, first understand normative development
3rd principle of DP vulnerabilities, risks, and protective factors increase or decrease likelihood of
developing problems
4th Principle of DP development unfolds in continuous and discontinuous ways
5th Principle of DP transactional models are needed to understand development
6th principle of DP biology interacts with experience to shape development for better or worse
1. Multiple pathways to psychopathology exist: equifinality and multifinality
encompasses two key concepts
1. Multiple pathways to psychopathology exist: diverse paths or factors can lead to the same outcome
equifinality
1. Multiple pathways to psychopathology exist: The same experience can lead to diverse outcomes
multifinality
2. To understand psychopathology, first understand Understanding typical development is essential for identifying what is truly
normal development pathological. What is normal at one age might be abnormal at another
3. Vulnerabilities, risk, and protective factors increase or A key goal of DP is identifying which children are most vulnerable to different
decrease the likelihood of developing problems. forms of risk and when; protective factors promote resilience in the face of risk
4. Development unfolds in continuous and homotypic continuity and heterotypic continuity
discontinuous ways: 2 types of continuity in disorders
are important here, what are they?
homotypic continuity disorder remains relatively stable in symptom presentation over time (ex. social
anxiety)
heterotypic continuity expression of disorder changes with development (ex. behavioral inhibition
turns into shyness in childhood and social anxiety disorder in adulthood)
, 5. Transactional models are needed to understand development is complex and dynamic; multivariate transactional models are
development: required to account for bidirectional influences between individual and
environment at multiple levels
6. Biology interacts with experience to shape statistical estimate of the genetic portion of observed variation in a specific
development, for better and for worse: Heritability trait in a population
6. Biology interacts with experience to shape certain genotypes are associated with certain environments, and those
development, for better and for worse: gene- environments reinforce genetically mediated tendency
environment correlation
6. Biology interacts with experience to shape a gene matters more or less depending on the level of some environmental
development, for better and for worse: gene- factor
environment interaction
6. Biology interacts with experience to shape genes stay the same across development, but chemical changes near the gene
development, for better and for worse: epigenetics site can alter their expression; ex. chronic stress
Risk probability, NOT guarantee, of a negative outcome within a defined population
risk factor characteristic shown to precede the outcome and to be associated with an
increased likelihood of that outcome over base rates in the general population
What qualifies something as a risk factor? temporal sequence--evidence that the outcome was not already present prior
to the time of the risk factor
What is a vulnerability factor? biological predisposition that interacts with external risks to increase the
likelihood of psychopathology, particularly in contexts of environmental
adversity.
resilience capacity to adapt successfully to challenges that threaten healthy function,
development, and survival
What does resilience presume? the presence of real risk--levels of adversity that would likely harm most
children
Internal Scale: What helps children develop resilience? self-regulation skills, intelligence, self-efficacy/esteem, coping skills
Family/Social context scale: What helps children secure attachments to caregivers, warm and supportive caregivers, safe and
develop resilience? effective parenting, healthy peer and sibling relationships
Environment/social context: What helps children good schools, safe neighborhoods, positive role models, faith based and other
develop resilience? community connections
3 Factor Model of "Control Based" coping with stress- primary control coping, secondary control coping, and disengagement coping
-3 types of coping
Primary Control Coping Problem solving, boundary setting, emotional expression, directly modifying
the stressor
secondary control coping acceptance, cognitive reappraisal, and positive thinking; change response to
stressor
and CORRECT Answers
The primary goal of developmental psychology integrating developmental science and psychopathology into explanatory
models for understanding, preventing, and treating psychopathological
development
how many guiding principles are there to 6
developmental psychology
1st Principle of DP multiple pathways to psychopathology exist
2nd Principle of DP to understand psychopathology, first understand normative development
3rd principle of DP vulnerabilities, risks, and protective factors increase or decrease likelihood of
developing problems
4th Principle of DP development unfolds in continuous and discontinuous ways
5th Principle of DP transactional models are needed to understand development
6th principle of DP biology interacts with experience to shape development for better or worse
1. Multiple pathways to psychopathology exist: equifinality and multifinality
encompasses two key concepts
1. Multiple pathways to psychopathology exist: diverse paths or factors can lead to the same outcome
equifinality
1. Multiple pathways to psychopathology exist: The same experience can lead to diverse outcomes
multifinality
2. To understand psychopathology, first understand Understanding typical development is essential for identifying what is truly
normal development pathological. What is normal at one age might be abnormal at another
3. Vulnerabilities, risk, and protective factors increase or A key goal of DP is identifying which children are most vulnerable to different
decrease the likelihood of developing problems. forms of risk and when; protective factors promote resilience in the face of risk
4. Development unfolds in continuous and homotypic continuity and heterotypic continuity
discontinuous ways: 2 types of continuity in disorders
are important here, what are they?
homotypic continuity disorder remains relatively stable in symptom presentation over time (ex. social
anxiety)
heterotypic continuity expression of disorder changes with development (ex. behavioral inhibition
turns into shyness in childhood and social anxiety disorder in adulthood)
, 5. Transactional models are needed to understand development is complex and dynamic; multivariate transactional models are
development: required to account for bidirectional influences between individual and
environment at multiple levels
6. Biology interacts with experience to shape statistical estimate of the genetic portion of observed variation in a specific
development, for better and for worse: Heritability trait in a population
6. Biology interacts with experience to shape certain genotypes are associated with certain environments, and those
development, for better and for worse: gene- environments reinforce genetically mediated tendency
environment correlation
6. Biology interacts with experience to shape a gene matters more or less depending on the level of some environmental
development, for better and for worse: gene- factor
environment interaction
6. Biology interacts with experience to shape genes stay the same across development, but chemical changes near the gene
development, for better and for worse: epigenetics site can alter their expression; ex. chronic stress
Risk probability, NOT guarantee, of a negative outcome within a defined population
risk factor characteristic shown to precede the outcome and to be associated with an
increased likelihood of that outcome over base rates in the general population
What qualifies something as a risk factor? temporal sequence--evidence that the outcome was not already present prior
to the time of the risk factor
What is a vulnerability factor? biological predisposition that interacts with external risks to increase the
likelihood of psychopathology, particularly in contexts of environmental
adversity.
resilience capacity to adapt successfully to challenges that threaten healthy function,
development, and survival
What does resilience presume? the presence of real risk--levels of adversity that would likely harm most
children
Internal Scale: What helps children develop resilience? self-regulation skills, intelligence, self-efficacy/esteem, coping skills
Family/Social context scale: What helps children secure attachments to caregivers, warm and supportive caregivers, safe and
develop resilience? effective parenting, healthy peer and sibling relationships
Environment/social context: What helps children good schools, safe neighborhoods, positive role models, faith based and other
develop resilience? community connections
3 Factor Model of "Control Based" coping with stress- primary control coping, secondary control coping, and disengagement coping
-3 types of coping
Primary Control Coping Problem solving, boundary setting, emotional expression, directly modifying
the stressor
secondary control coping acceptance, cognitive reappraisal, and positive thinking; change response to
stressor
